Suspension hook



Dec. M, 19%. c. H. CARTER 2,4563% SUSPENSION HOOK Filed Sept. 16, 1947 FIG. 2.

' 28 INVENTOR.

Charles H- Barter MOLE/4,2 Qwf ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 114, i948 SUSPENSION HOOK CharlesH. Carter, Mount Pocono, Pa.

Application September 16, 1947, Serial No. 774.192

Claims. fi

This invention relates to suspension hooks particularly well adapted, altho not necessarily limited for use in supporting garment hangers, wardrobe bags and similar articles or loads from poles such as are used in closets, berths of sleeping cars and ships, and for the support of shower curtains in bath rooms which are at times used for supporting garment hangers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide suspension hooks which will not ride off the supporting poles even tho subjected to considerable jostling as when searching for particular garments or due to movement of trains and ships.

Another object is toprovide suspension hooks of a self locking character and which may be easily opened or unlocked when it is desired to detach same from the supporting poles.

Another object is to provide self locking suspension books which are inexpensive to manufacture, since the parts, such as C-shaped leaves and spring mountings for each assembly may be made in duplicate, thus reducing the number of dies or other forming devices used in the production of the hooks, to a minimum.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification and in which drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section of a suspension hook attached to the mid portion of a garment hanger, showing the leaves of the hook in an open position and about to be thrust upwardly with respect to a supporting pole, indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation, showing the leaves in a dead center position.

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation showing the leaves in a closed position.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view showing the leaves fully closed.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of companion spring mountings by means of which the leaves are automatically moved to open and closed positions.

Theload suspended by the hook may be or include such a device as a garment hanger, wardrobe bag or a similar article, which is frequently hung in and removed from closets, or packed with luggage, and brought into use as required. In the example shown,-the hook is disclosed as attached to a portion of a garment hanger bar I for such'bars are frequently brought into use, suspended from closet poles, or shower curtain poles, and slid therealong as when searching for a particular one of many garments to be removed for use, laundering, cleaning, etc. It is common practice to suspend garment hanger bars, and the like, by use of ordinary C-shaped, or open hooks, engaging over closet poles. These ordinary hooks are easily bent so that they fall from the pole or ride off the pole as when many garments on hangers are closely packed and supported by the pole, and one shoves them back and forth to select a particular garment from the lot.

The improved suspension hook broadly comprises a pair of substantially C-shaped leaves 8 pivotally connected to one another adjacent to their lower ends, as by headed cross pin 9, with their concave faces l0 confronting one another, and constructed and arranged to overlap one another when in a closed position, as shown'in Figs 3 and 4, to form a ring-like body encircling or embracing a closet pole II or the like; and a yieldable mounting l2 connecting the load to the leaves 8, the yieldable mounting being connected to and constructed and arranged to yieldably retain the leaves in either an open position as shown in Fig. 1, or a closed position, as shown in Fig. 3.

Each leaf 8 is preferably provided with an L-shaped tongue l3 comprising a stop portion l4 extending laterally from an intermediate section of the leaf adjacent its convex portion 15, and a bill It; extending inwardly to lie in a plane parallel to the plane of the leaf and spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the leaf. These tongues of the leaves are arranged so that they limit closing of the leaves to said ring-like position, as shown in Fig. 3, and prevent lateral separation of the leaves as shown in Fig. 4 when the leaves are in the ring-like position.

The lower end of each leaf 8 is preferably formed into a projecting lip ll extending from the pivot 9 away from its concave face in and toward the concave face ID of the companion leaf when the leaves are in an open position as shown in Fig. 1. The lips II may be of sufficient length that the distance between the free end l8 of either lip and the upper hooked end H! of the companion leaf, is less than the distance between the hooked ends I8 of the leaves, when the leaves are separated at their upper portions to provide an entrance for the pole I I thus providing for the reception of a pole having a. diameter substantially that of the distance between the ends l9 see ers but requiring the closing or the leaves by spring members as will be described due to the lesser dimension between ends I 8 and companion leaf ends is when the parts are in open position.

The yieldable mounting l2 preferably comprises companion spring members each including an upright stem portion 20 and an upwardly and laterally extending arm 2|. These spring members are arranged with their stem portions 20 in side by side relation and may be secured together at their lower end portions by rivets 22 having exposed heads 23 as shown in Fig. 1. By way of example the riveted portions of the mounting l2 may be received in-a bore 24 in the bar I and the void filled with a plastic or other filler 25, leaving material sections 26 of the stem portions 2|! projecting above the bar. Each arm 2| is preferably arcuate in shape, and provided with a slot 21 open at its upper end portion, the slot being onset with respect to the plane of the spring member providing major and minor tines 28 and 29 which are curled to provide major and minor barrels 30 and 3|, respectively, as shown in Fig. 6. The arms 2| preferably extend laterally outward from the stem portions 20 and upward in the assembly, providing a substantially U-shaped spring portion 32 having a relatively wide opening 33 for the reception of the fingers of the operator of the hook as hereinafter described.

The leaves 8 are received in the slots 21 of the arms 2|. there being pivots 34l extending thru the barrels 30 and 3| of each arm and thru an opening 35 in the leaf with which it is associated, as shown in Fig. 5. These pivots 34 and the openings 35 are so arranged to each side of the pivot 9 that when the pivots 34 are in a plane below the axis of pivot 9, the spring mounting tends to swing the leaves to an open position, as shown in Fig. 1, the spring mounting being of the tension type, the spring arms 2| tending to move toward each other. Likewise the spring arms tend to move the arms 2| toward a closed position, as

shown in Fig. 3, when the pivots 34 pass dead center, as shown in Fig. 2, and move to a plane above the axis of pivot 9.

It will be noted that, according to the preferred embodiment of this invention, the leaves 8 may be the product of the same forming means, being interchangeable and that the companion spring members may also be the product of the same forming means. Since the leaves are in overlapping relation when assembled, the offset slots 2'! are in proper position to cooperate with the overlapping leaves as shown in Figs. and 6.

In operation, the load may be grasped or the thumb and fingers of the operator's hand may grasp the hook at the sections 26 of the stem portions 20 and upon thrusting the hook upwardly from beneath the pole with the pivoted portion of the leaves engaging the pole, as indicated in Fig. 1, continued upward movement imparted to the hook will cause the pivoted portion to be depressed. During this depression of the pivoted portions of the leaves, the yieldable or spring mounting will be tensioned which, in the example shown, slightly spreads the stern portions 20 at the sections 26 until dead center is reached as shown in Fig. 2, whereupon slight further upward movement will cause the leaves to quickly swing to a closed position embracing the pole, responsive to the action of the spring mounting.

To remove the hook from the pole, it is necessary to merely apply a lifting action to the leaves 8 at the underside of the pivoted portion thereof and the weight of the load will act upon the yieldable mounting to swing the leaves first to the dead center position shown in Fig. 2, and then to a full open position as shown in Fig. 1.

If the pole is of slightly greater diameter than the distance between the free ends I9 01 the leaves 8, the leaves may be forced apart a distance greater than that existing as a result of action of the yieldable mounting i2, so that the hook may be used with poles of varying diameters. However, by providing the lips ll, the likelihood of a person thrusting the hook upwardly with respect to the pole of a smaller size and failing to snap the leaves to a locked or closed position, because of catching the pole in the concavity of only one leaf, is avoided. In other words, the shorter distance between the free ends I8 oi the lips I! and the hooked ends IQ of the companion leaves, as compared with the distance between the hooked ends I9 of the leaves, when the hook is open, as shown in Fig. 1, tends to the depression of the lips l1 and hence swinging of the leaves before either leaf can embrace the pole.

I claim:

1. A suspension hook for supporting a load from a pole or the like, comprising a pair of substantially c-shaped leaves, a first pivot connecting said leaves at their lower end portions with their concave portions confronting one another and arranged to overlap at their upper portions forming a closed ring-like unit in one position, to encircle the pole, and arranged to separate at their upper portions in a second position to provide an entrance and exit for the pole, a mounting connected to and extending above the load and including an upper U-shaped spring portion, the arms of which engage said leaves at opposite sides of said first pivot, and second pivots connecting said arms to the leaves with the arms tending to move toward each other to yieldably retain said leaves in either of said first or second positions, when said second pivots are in a plane above or below the axis of said first pivot.

2. In a suspension hook for use with a supporting pole or the like, the combination of a pair of substantially c-shaped leaves, a first pivot connecting said leaves at their lower portions adjacent to the ends thereof with their concave portions confronting one another and arranged to overlap at their upper portions forming a closed ring-like unit in one position with the lower ends overlapping portions of the confronting leaves to encircle the pole and arranged to separate at their upper portions in a second position to provide an entrance and exit for the pole with said end portions projecting upwardly in the space defined by the open confrontin leaves, a tension spring means, and second pivots connecting said tension means to the leaves at opposite sides of said first pivot tending to swing said leaves to said first and second positions as the second pivots move above and below, respectively, past the dead center.

3. A suspension hook for supporting a load from a pole or the like, comprising, a pair of substantially C-shaped leaves. a first pivot connecting said leaves at their lower end portions with their concave portions confronting one another and arranged to overlap at their upper portions forming a closed ring-like unit in one position, to encircle the pole, and arranged to separate at their upper portions in a second position to provide an entrance and exit for the pole. a spring mountin comprising companion spring members each including an upright stem portion and a laterally and upwardly extending arm, said spring members arranged with their stem portions in side by side relation and with the load-connected to the 'lower ends thereof and said arms arranged to extend laterally from the upper ends of the stems and upward with their upper end portions engaglng said leaves at opposite sides of said first pivot, and second pivots connecting said arms to the leaves with the arms tending to move toward each other to yieldab'ly retain said leaves in either of said first or second positions, when said second pivots are in a plane above or below the axis of said first pivot. i

4. In a suspension hook for use with a supporting pole or the like, the combination of a pair of companion substantially c-shaped leaves, and a pivot connecting said leaves at their lower portions adjacent to the ends thereof with their concave portions confronting one another and arranged to overlap at their upper portions forming a closed ring-like unit in one position, to encircle the pole, and arranged to separate at their upper portions in a second position to provide an entrance and exit for the pole, said lower ends of each of said leaves providing a lip extending from said pivot toward the concave face of the companion leaf when in said second position, and said leaves constructed and arranged so that the distance between the upper ends of said leaves, when in said second position, is greater than the distance between the said lips and the upper ends of the confronting leaves, whereby the leaves must be moved toward said first position before a pole of a diameter substantially equal to said first distance may engage the concavities of the leaves.

5. In a suspension hook for use with a supporting pole or the'like, the combination of a pair of companion C-shaped leaves, pivotally connected adjacent to their lower end portions with their concave portions confronting one another and arranged to overlap at their upper portions forming a closed ring-like unit, in one position, to encircle the pole and arranged to separate at their upper end portions in a second position to provide an entrance and exit for the pole with the ends of the lower portions extending beyond the pivot projecting into the space between the leaves, said leaves each provided with a laterally extending L-shaped tongue, engaging the convex and opposite faces of the companion leaf when said leaves are in said first position to limit closing of the leaves to said ring-like position and to prevent lateral separation of the leaves when in said first position.

CHARLES H. CARTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 470,170 Alderman Mar. 8, 1892 1,386,442 Spoelstra Aug. 2, 1921 

